Ventura County does well in score card on child well-being

In Ventura County, 73 percent of young children are read to daily, 60 percent of newborns in hospitals are exclusively breast-fed and 71 percent weigh about what they should, according to a new report on children's well-being.

The online score card released today by the Children Now nonpartisan advocacy and research organization measures California counties on 28 indicators, including child abuse, prenatal care, school suspensions and proximity of grocery stores and farmers markets.

The report shows Ventura County was ranked in the top third of California counties in 10 categories, including preschool attendance, seventh-grade math skills and dental visits for children in the child welfare system.

The county was listed in the bottom third in four categories, including percentage of classrooms with high-speed Internet access and school expulsion rates. In those categories, the county's rate of 90 percent fell just below the state average of 92 percent.

Much of the data in the score card, which is released every two years, comes from government agencies, research and surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and WestEd, a nonpartisan research group.

The scoring painted a mostly positive picture of Ventura County, with significant increases in 11 categories and dips of at least 5 percent over several years in four categories.

"To be honest, I'm extremely heartened by the progress that has been made in Ventura," said Claudia Harrison, executive director of the early childhood development organization First 5 Ventura County. "Together, we've been able to effect change."

According to the score card, 54 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in Ventura County attended preschool, an increase of 7 percent over the last several years.

"We know that children who go to preschool do better in school and life," Harrison said. "We know kids who don't go to preschool often enter school with a readiness gap."

Some of the score card's results surprised Dr. Robert Levin, the county's public health officer, including the assertion that the percentage of children in Ventura County who land in a healthful weight zone — 71 percent — is improving at a rate of 4 percent over several years.

"I hope it's true," he said. "I don't have a lot of reason to believe it's true. I'd like to see more evidence."

The study also suggested 91 percent of children in the county who live near grocery stores, produce stands or farmers markets more than doubled over several years. If the gain is real, it is hugely significant, Levin said.

"We can lecture all we want to families who are giving their families chips and sodas, but if that's all that's available, it's not going to change," he said.

The study said 9 percent of Ventura County children 3 and younger endured recurring abuse or neglect. That rate compared with a state average of 7 percent, and it has risen 4 percent over several years.

"Nothing in that category is acceptable except 100 percent," said Stan Mantooth, Ventura County superintendent of schools.

The study said 45 percent of the county's third-graders read at grade level, about the same as the state average. It said 53 percent of the county's seventh-graders meet or exceed state math standards, ranking it in the top third of California counties.

Mantooth expressed surprised at the reading score. He said many of the numbers show the need to accelerate efforts.

"This is a positive report," he said, referring to all the areas of gain. "There are still 27 percent of (young) children who are not read to every day. That's over a quarter of the population. It tells me and people who are concerned about young children how far we yet have to go."